CocoRosie began as a duo, with Sierra singing, playing the guitar, piano and harp, and Bianca singing and manipulating various children's toys, electronic and percussion instruments, as well as other exotic noisemakers. They subsequently added various backing musicians, usually a bassist, keyboardist, and beatboxer. They have been a very active touring group, playing across Europe, the United States, and elsewhere.
They have released seven full-length albums: La maison de mon rêve (2004), Noah's Ark (2005), The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn (2007), Grey Oceans (2010), Tales of a GrassWidow (2013), Heartache City (2015) and Put the Shine On (2020).
In 2003, Bianca was growing restless and decided it was time for a change. Leaving her apartment in Brooklyn to travel the world, she ended up at Sierra's apartment in Paris. Over the course of the next two months, the women spent nearly every waking hour in Sierra's bathroom, chosen as the most acoustic and isolated room in the apartment. Soon, they had completed both a hip-hop recording (never released) called "word to the crow" and their proper debut album La Maison de Mon Rêve.
Originally, La Maison de Mon Rêve was only intended to be distributed within a close circle of friends. However, by 2004 the lo-fi album had been released on independent label Touch and Go Records, who had obtained a copy of the CD and had uncharacteristically pursued signing the artists. Since the creation of their first album, the Casady sisters have been virtually inseparable.
Stylistically they may be assigned to the indie rock, psychedelic folk, folktronica genres, and are sometimes associated with the New Weird America movement. Sierra, who studied operatic vocal techniques, takes the lead vocals and also plays guitar, harp and flute. Bianca is a percussionist and also beatboxes. The group also uses various objects such as toys to construct their unique sound. Popular indie bands such as The xx name them as a major influence.
They were actively touring during most of 2004, playing across the U.S. and throughout Europe with artists such as TV on the Radio, Bright Eyes, Battles, Devendra Banhart, and Busdriver among others.
Official website: http://www.cocorosiemusic.com
Gravediggress
CocoRosie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All of my love and all of my holy
Gravediggress dig me a hole I can bury
All of my love and all of my holy
All of my love and all of my holy
Gravediggress dig me a hole I can bury
All of my love and all of my holy
All of my love and all of my holy
Old gravediggress by the dried out brook
Whose babble turns to gravel
And my company too
I used to watch the butterflies,
Pretend that its spring
When December can't remember
Not a damn cold thing
Old gravedigger-r by the burnt out tree
Who held a hive a murmur
But no more bees
I used to hear the wind—
Made speak and sing the leaves
Seems so long I've felt but a shy and tender breeze
Gravediggress dig me a hole I can bury
All of my love and all of my holy
Old scarecrow wounded at the knee
Lost your button eyes
And most of your stuffing
Hay for a heart
And hay for a brain
If your momma was sweeter then you might be sane
Gravediggress dig me a hole I can bury
All of my love and all of my holy
The song "Gravediggress" by CocoRosie is a melancholic ballad that explores themes of love, loss, and nostalgia. The repeated chorus "Gravediggress dig me a hole I can bury all of my love and all of my holy" speaks to a desire to let go of past loves and sacred memories. The imagery of the old gravediggress and the burnt out tree add to the bleak atmosphere of the song, suggesting a sense of decay and abandonment. The reference to the butterflies and the wind both highlight the fleeting nature of life, and the sorrowful tone reflects the sense that the singer has lost something dear to them.
In the second verse, the singer addresses an old scarecrow who has lost its "button eyes" and most of its "stuffing." The use of hay for the scarecrow's heart and brain alludes to the idea that it is empty and hollow, much like the emotions the singer is burying. The final lines "if your momma was sweeter then you might be sane" suggest the possibility of finding sanity in a loving relationship, but also hint at the difficulties of such a pursuit.
Overall, "Gravediggress" is a haunting and introspective song that leaves the listener with a sense of longing and sadness.
Line by Line Meaning
Gravediggress dig me a hole I can bury
The singer is asking the gravedigress to dig them a hole to bury something important.
All of my love and all of my holy
The singer wants to bury all of their love and sacred things along with the object they are burying.
Old gravediggress by the dried out brook
The gravedigress is old and is located near a dried out brook.
Whose babble turns to gravel
The noise from the brook has reduced to a gravel sound due to lack of water.
And my company too
The artist's only company is the gravedigress and the brook's gravel sound.
I used to watch the butterflies,
In the past, the singer used to watch butterflies, which symbolize life and beauty.
Pretend that its spring
The singer pretended it was a different season than it actually was, perhaps to escape the bleakness of their surroundings.
When December can't remember
December, a month that symbolizes cold and death, cannot remember anything due to its lack of consciousness.
Not a damn cold thing
December cannot even remember anything about the cold, which is typically associated with it.
Old gravedigger-r by the burnt out tree
The gravedigger is also located near a burnt out tree.
Who held a hive a murmur
The tree used to have a beehive, which made a buzzing sound.
But no more bees
The bees are gone, possibly due to death, mirroring the theme of the song.
I used to hear the wind—
In the past, the singer used to hear the wind.
Made speak and sing the leaves
The wind made the leaves on the trees rustle, which could create the impression that the leaves were speaking and singing.
Seems so long I've felt but a shy and tender breeze
The singer hasn't felt the wind for a long time, but when they did, it was gentle and timid instead of loud and dramatic.
Old scarecrow wounded at the knee
The next verse focuses on a scarecrow, which serves as a symbol for death.
Lost your button eyes
The scarecrow's button eyes, which were its only way of seeing, have fallen off, further emphasizing its deathly state.
And most of your stuffing
The scarecrow is slowly losing its insides, representing decay.
Hay for a heart
The scarecrow's heart is made of hay, which further shows that it is inanimate and lifeless.
And hay for a brain
The scarecrow's brain, if it can be called that, is also made of hay.
If your momma was sweeter then you might be sane
The scarecrow only exists because its creators wanted it to, and if they had put more care into it, it might not be so lifeless and insane.
Gravediggress dig me a hole I can bury
The song repeats the opening lines, emphasizing the theme of burying something important.
All of my love and all of my holy
The singer again wants to bury their love and sacred things along with the object they are burying.
Contributed by Asher G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ni Mö
Gravedigress dig me a hole I can bury
All of my love and all of my holy
Gravedigress dig me a hole I can bury
All of my love and all of my holy
All of my love and all of my holy
Gravedigress dig me a hole I can bury
All of my love and all of my holy
All of my love and all of my holy
Old gravediggress by the dried out brook
Whose babble turns to gravel
And my company too
I used to watch the butterflies,
Pretend that its spring
When December can't remember
Not a damn cold thing
Old gravedigger-r by the burnt out tree
Who held the hive a murmur
But no more bees
I used to hear the wind
Made speak and sing the leaves
Seems so long I've felt but a shy and tender breeze
Gravedigress dig me a hole I can bury
All of my love and all of my holy
Gravedigress dig me a hole I can bury
All of my love and all of my holy
Old scarecrow wounded at the knee
Lost your button eyes
And most of your stuffing
Hay for a heart
And hay for a brain
If your momma was sweeter then you might be sane
Gravedigress dig me a hole I can bury
All of my love and all of my holy
Jazmin Rivera
Gravediggress dig me
A hole I can bury
All of my love in
All of my holy x2
All of my love in
All of my holy x2
Old gravediggress
By the dried out brooke
Whose babble turned to gravel
And my company took
I used to watch the butterflies
Pretend that it's spring
When December, can't remember
Not a damn cold thing
Old gravedigger
By the burnt out tree
Who held a hive a murmur
But no more bees
I used to hear the wind
Made speak and sing the leaves
Seems so long I felt
But a shy and tender breeze
Gravediggress dig me
A hole I can bury
All of my love in
All of my holyx2
Old scarecrow
Wounded at the knee
Lost your button eyes
And most of your stuffing
Hay for a heart
And hay for a brain
If your momma was sweeter
Then you might be sane
Gravediggress dig me
A hole I can bury
All of my love in
All of my holy x2
All of my love in
All of my holy x2
Gravediggress dig me
A hole I can bury
All of my love in
All of my holy
Gravediggress dig me
A hole I can bury
Jason Morbid
CocoRosie is like my favorite band. So talented, artistic, and the feeling of melancholy is sublime
S K
This song is sooo damn good. Had a period where I just couldn't bring myself to stop listening to this album <3
Paranuui
I feel you
Elsif
I fell asleep listening to portishead, and woke up to Spotify playing this song. I screamed, "WTF is this!? Why does she sound like that?!" and turned it off instantly. I couldn't erase it from my head, and I can't stop listening to it now.
interstellartravel
A lot of my friends have trouble seeing why I love Cocorosie so much. I think they really know how to touch the spirit and create a powerful experience that people aren't used to in music these days.
CD63
Yeah, cocorosie are paranormal telephatic 😉
Ian Dalziel
...it does get in!
Bartlomiej Kowarski
@interstellartravel I 100% agree! Got exactly the same thing with my friends and CocoRosie's music. Seems like people are quite scared to fully open to their music, because they kind of know that this music gonna get very deeply inside of them...
Justin Gwin
Glad it took you to something good. And opened your mind to not shit.
Eyshila Sêrro
This song is the best thing that ever happened to me! Love it, love you girls!